Fairytale Theater Year Without a Santa Claus
by Allleila
Summary: Can two elves help the Ice Prince find love and win Santa's freedom in time for Christmas? Rogue shares a campfire tale with the young students of Xavier's Academy


Author Notes: Remy only has his empathy for this story, making things go boom isn't really a child friendly power. This story includes general silliness, OOC-ness and warpness of holiday classic. I know this story comes at the wrong time but with all the Christmas things being displayed in shops (,at least around where I live) it's putting me in the holiday spirit which I have a feeling will run out come November. But anyway on with the story.

Summary: Can two elves help the Ice Prince find love and win Santa's freedom in time for Christmas? Rogue shares a campfire tale with the young students of Xavier's Academy

…………………

The sharp end of the hot metal poker pushed and prodded against the stacked wood until the fire crackled and popped back to vibrant life. The renewed blaze slowly warmed the chilled room and cast a cosy candescent glow in the otherwise darkened room. Rogue placed the rod back in its holder before turning to face the group of children in her care. They were the few in the mansion that did not have any place to go for the holidays; orphans and street urchins that Xavier had taken in like strays, offering the comfort of food, shelter, and an education to ones who would have normally despaired.

There was a twinkle in her eye as she watched them snuggle against each other, cookies and warm cocoa in hand. "Ok guys, wanna hear a story?"

There was a resounding, if cookie muffled chorus of `yes' and Rogue grinned as she took her place amongst the nest of blankets and children. "You know the story of Santa Claus, right? And how he brings toys to all the good boys and girls on Christmas Eve every year?" When she saw several mops of dishevelled hair nodding, she continued. "Well, did you all know that there was one year when Christmas very nearly didn't happen?"

At the questions that were starting to chirp from various mouths, she held up her hand. "Yes, that's right. It was almost known as the year without a Santa Claus." The children were wide-eyed as they waited for her to continue. "And it all started with the cold, cold heart of a snow demon known as The Ice Prince."

…………………

At the very ends of the Earth lies a vast frozen land known as the North Pole. Few animals and people can withstand the frigid climate and seldom venture there. At the heart of the land was a tiny village that had been built millennia ago, but withstood the test of time and the harsh, bitter bite of the surroundings to remain a productive little community. The residents of this town were very small in stature, sporting ears that grew to a point at the very tips and eyes of varying crystalline shades that spanned the colours of the rainbow. They were known as elves, and had lived for many generations in this very place, working together in harmony to build toys for their beloved master to gift to children at the end of every year, a time that had come to be called Christmas. The master was a kind and gentle man, round of belly and sporting a snow-white beard that hung well below his chin. He had come to this land long before any of the inhabitants could remember, bearing the name Kris Kringle and offering his vision to the little snow dwellers. It was his dream to bring a smile to all the little boys and girls in the world, if only for one day. His dream slowly became theirs as they embraced the stranger who never seemed to age with each passing century. Each new generation of little folk became more and more subservient to his vision until eventually they knew no other joy than to work diligently to fulfil their master's wishes. But no matter how much they revered the man, he never once took advantage of their worship, treating them instead as if they were his own children and he the doting father. And together, they lived a humble, yet rewarding life full of love and joy, never wanting for anything as they strove to fulfil the wishes of children around the world.

Now in this land, there also dwelled a powerful demon known simply as the Ice Prince. In whispers to elfin children to keep them in line, it was said that he had once been a member of the little folk, living among them as part of the community. But he had become bitter and mean, jealous of all the things given to humans elsewhere that the village knew not. It was said that in his bitterness, his heart grew smaller with each passing year while his body grew twisted and large with greed and hatred. Soon, his body was twice as large as all the other villagers, and his face frozen into a constant scowl. It drove fear into the heart of the community, making all the other elves shy away from the abnormality within their group. The more his fellow kinsmen drew away from him, the smaller his hardening heart became, until at last it was a tiny dot within his chest encased in ice. He practiced dark magic constantly, warping the good magic born within all elves to suit his own selfish purposes until he was a very powerful wizard indeed. The more he learned, the more his body changed into one of purse crystalline ice, earning the name of Ice Prince from all the other villagers.

One Christmas eve, many moons ago, the Ice Prince challenged the beloved master. He swore profanely at Kris, and sought to claim dominion over the village. Using the element of water, a barrage of various ice particles ranging from tiny piercing needles to chunks of rock-like mass was unleashed on the town with the soul purpose of destruction. But in the end, Kris Kringle stood his ground, surrounded and supported by all the members of their little community and all the creatures that skirted the outer edges. And the pool of all good magic was too much for the demon, driving him from their midst to exile in the outer rims of the land. An uneasy treaty was forged; a line of demarcation drawn in the ice such that the Ice Prince ruled over the domain to the south, while Kringle and the elves dominated the North. And so it was that many centuries passed in peace.

But a time eventually came when the Ice Prince was no longer satisfied with his lonely exile. So, he plotted and planned, deciding that he would stop Christmas once and for all. On a night of a new moon, when only the dim glow of stars dotted the landscape with a faint light, the Ice Prince made his move. He stole into the sleeping village and slipped quietly into the beloved master's home. While they all slept, the demon cast a freezing spell on Kringle and stole him away in the night.

…………………

A collective gasp caused Rogue to pause, lending time for several children to bombard her with questions and concern all at once.

"But he can't take Santa! That's just mean."

"Does Santa have cool ice powers, too?"

"What about the deer? I want Rudolph."

"The elves sound so sweet!! Can we have one?"

"That ice guy sounds kinda like Bobby. Is he?"

Rogue held up her hands and shushed the enthusiasm flowing from the kids. "Alright, alright, do you want me to continue telling this story or not?" At the sheepish looks on their faces, she smiled and adjusted the blanket over her arms, shifting her body into a slightly more comfortable position. "Try to save any questions or comments until the end, ok? And Jamie, no we can't have an elf. Now…"

…………………

In this time among the there lived two clan members who stood apart from the rest in their appearance. Both were a bit larger than their brethren, though time and tolerance had taught the community to overlook such abnormalities. Of the two, one was stout in mass, muscular and gruff in both body and demeanour. He was an older elf, the head of the mining workforce who was known as Logan the Strong. With his strange double-pointed hair, as well as the liberal covering of fur-like hair on the rest of his torso, he made a frightening figure with a cigar perpetually hanging from one side of his mouth and piercing crystalline blue eyes the colour of sapphires. Yet, he had a heart of gold as the villagers had come to learn - a loyal and fierce protector of what he considered to be his tribe. The beloved master had once told the community that Logan the Strong, while different in appearances from the rest of his ilk, was as much a part of them as the very air they breathed and a true gift from the creator. And thus, the mighty man had earned his place of respect among the little folk.

The second member did not share the mass of his compatriot. Rather he had grown steadily taller, towering over Logan the Strong as well as all the other elves. Where Logan was fierce and rugged, Remy the Charmer was near beautiful in appearance with long cinnamon locks that flowed in waves around his face and shoulders. His eyes were as brilliant red as rubies; capable of showing the depth of the emotions he felt if anyone cared to look into them hard enough. He was gentle in his manner, compassionate with all around and drew the crowds to him like bees to honey. To compare both elves to one another was like comparing the nighttime with the day - different in beauty and strengths, but complimenting each other.

When the news had spread that the beloved master was no longer among the community, and evidence pointed to the ice demon as the cause of his disappearance, the clan elders called a meeting of the township to bring forth those who would volunteer to retrieve their precious Kris. And so it was that before the day drew to an end, Logan the Strong and Remy the Charmer both stepped forward to accept the challenge. At the break of the next day, they would set forth to the lands of the south, and the domain of the Ice Prince. The clan elders cast upon them all the prayers and protections available in the hopes that they would succeed. For Christmas was only two days away, and without the beloved master to guide the sleigh of toys, the children of the world would have no toys this year.

Together the two volunteers made their way to the Southern domain. The terrain was tricky to navigate, consuming much of the time allotted to them to save Kris. But, finally, they arrived at the castle of the Ice Prince. The castle rose high above the land, and was sculpted of pure ice. For as clear as ice would seem, it was actually impossible to see through the walls to the other side. The light of the sun reflected off the slick wet surface of the structure, shattering into millions of colours through the crystal, like a prism. The Ice Prince must have been prepared, for the bridge that allowed for entrance across the deep ravine that surrounded the structure like a moat had been lowered as if in invitation. Carefully the two made their way within, winding through perfectly arched ice tunnels until they reached the inner sanctum and thrown room. Their breath caught at the sight. The room was cavernous and rather warm considering the material of the walls. It was sparsely decorated with human and elfin treasures alike, a smattering of objects that meant very little as separate pieces, but formed a clear picture of a lonely soul attempting to capture the normalcy of life when grouped together. Each artefact was set about the room on display. And in the furthest corner, there stood their beloved master, frozen in peaceful slumber but held upright by the block of ice in which he was encased.

The Ice Prince sat on his thrown and scowled at the two interlopers. Again, their breaths caught at the sight. For all the stories that had been told to them in their youths as to the ugliness of the demon prince, before them sat a beautiful crystalline body of the purest ice. The figure was outlined to perfection, cut and chiselled where appropriate for muscle and definition. His eyes were the lightest of blue, barely mimicking the colour of the sky. And those eyes pierced Logan and Remy with red-hot anger.

"How dare you come to stand before me in my own home. What is it that you seek?" The demon smirked at the two frightened elves, knowing already the object of their quest.

Logan's jaw twitched with the desire to spew forth his thoughts on the vile creature before them, but held his tongue. He was no diplomat, and nearly laughed incredulously when the elders chose him for such a mission. Rather, he waited for the younger elf beside him to take the lead. Remy stepped forward and kneeled. It was a gesture unexpected by the demon, and piqued his interest in the two. "M'lord, we are but humble members of the elfin community at the North Pole. We beg of you to return our beloved master."

…………………

Toby giggled out loud. "Mr. Remy talks more funny than that."

"It's called an accent, stupid." Jeremy leaned over and thumped the younger boy on the top of his head.

Toby turned an angry glare towards Jeremy and then pushed him in the chest with both hands. "I'm not stupid. You're stupid."

Jeremy pushed back. "No, I'm not. You are."

"Ok, that's enough boys. Jeremy, Toby has a right to his opinion and it's not nice to call him names." Rogue cut in, eyeing the older boy before turning a stern gaze on the youngest. "Toby, try not to interrupt the story, ok?" When both boys nodded contritely, secretly sticking their tongues out at each other when they thought she wasn't looking, Rogue went back to her storytelling.

…………………

"The Elfin community?!" The Ice Prince snorted. "You take me for a fool? How can you two be elves? Just look at you." He gestured one frozen arm towards the two representatives before him. Standing from his ice thrown and moving towards the pair, he glared at Logan before turning his crystalline gaze to the younger one kneeling. "Neither of you look like a typical elf. Both of you are bigger, with marked features that differentiate from that tribe. How is it that you call yourselves elves?"

Logan had an overwhelming urge to insert himself between the Ice Prince and his comrade. He had always had special feelings for the beautiful red-eyed boy; a possessive type of love that kept him forever by Remy's side, even as he stood in the shadows of the other. Logan was not known for socializing - a total opposite of the Charmer - yet he could not bear to be separated from Remy. Fists clenched with the urge to strike, he waited to see how his partner would handle the demon.

The Ice Prince must have sensed something from the stocky man, for he turned his glare onto Logan. "The elves I know would never accept such abominations as the two of you." He turned and walked over to the frozen sarcophagus entombing the beloved Claus and stared at the older man through the layers of ice. "Once, a long time ago, I, too, was a member of the elfin community."

At the shocked gasps from the other two, the Ice Prince's frown turned into a sad smile as his crystal blue eyes glazed over. Both Remy and Logan could see his visage in the reflection of the ice tomb as the lord of this dominion searched inward to his memories. "I was born dissimilar from the others. It was obvious from the beginning that I was a mutant among their clan. Even though I was flesh and blood at the time, they could not accept a creature so different in appearance. I had rounded ears, and soft skin that was cool to the touch. My eyes were almost a see-through shade of blue, which was an unheard of eye-colouring at the time, and my hair was a bright golden colour." The curve of his lips shifted downward and he turned with blazing eyes towards the other two elves.

One hand extended, calling upon the particles in the air to spin and whirl, forming a ball that he hurled at the two. A pleased feeling came upon him as the ice ball landed between them like a small explosive, causing both elves to scatter sideways from the projectile to avoid the slivers of ice shards that fanned out from the impact. "Obviously, my ability to manipulate and freeze water was an unusual talent that caused the village to spurn me."

"Well boo hoo." Logan sneered. "You expect us to believe this little pity party you got going?" Fists flexing, he hunched into a defensive stance. "We never heard such a thing. The elfin community has always been welcoming to anyone and everyone. They never cared what Remy and I looked like, or the special things we could do. On the other hand, we have heard the stories about you, what evil things you've done. I chose to reserve judgment, until you kidnapped Kringle. To me, that shows your true colours."

The Ice Prince hissed in anger. "I don't care if you believe me or not. It is true what I say. Do you have any idea what it was like? To grow up being the object of ridicule? To be isolated from everyone, even the one who bore me, and labelled a monster? To be outcast by the very man you have sworn fealty to?" He waved an angry arm in Santa Claus's general direction. "And I am supposed to believe that you are from the very same clan that turned their backs on me simply because I looked different?"

The feel of the emotional turmoil from the Ice Prince before him, and Logan's overwhelming anger to his side, was taking a toll on Remy. He could sense the truth behind the demon's words. It was hard to believe that the Ice Prince had once been an elf as well. But, Remy had always been more sensitive to his fellow elf, and knew without fail that the beautiful ice creature before them was, at one time, a member of their clan. What's more, their ancestors had turned their backs on him, and left him a bitter, lonely soul. What had caused the attitudes of the villagers to change over time such that those born differently were now embraced? Logan and Remy were both testament to the change. Logan's power for healing, the unusual bony claws that would sometimes extend from his hand and his extraordinary senses made him a protector of the clan. Remy's own ability, to sense the feelings of others, sought to make everyone happy all the time. If needed, he would take on their pain and leave them with a sense of well-being. But, it would always leave Remy sick for days on end; something that would cause worry from the burly miner that had come to mean so much. With Logan's love supporting him along with the respect of all their fellow kinsmen, Remy never feared in his self-appointed tasks of bringing joy and peace to the villagers. But, he also knew that had he not had his strong and stubborn friend in his life, he would have been lonely as well; all too aware of the small undercurrent of fear and loathing that flowed among some members. It was something he knew they struggled to overcome, but it was there nonetheless. Remy's heart constricted at the thought of what the beautiful ice elf must have faced in his youth.

"They are not like that, anymore. They have come to accept differences over the years. And Kris had a lot to do with that." Remy softly spoke, willing the demon to see the truth in his words.

The Ice Prince simply stared contemptuously at the beautiful cinnamon-haired elf. "No, I can not believe. I turned my heart to ice long ago." With those words, Remy collapsed to the ground, grasping his chest from the unyielding pain that lay beneath the ice covered surface of the demon.

Logan growled at seeing the one who owned his heart fall, and extended the bone claws from both hands. "You foul demon! I shall slay you. I shall…."

…………………

A snort from the edge of the room caused Rogue to pause in her tale. The kids were staring at her in wide-eyed wonder, but started looking back and forth at each other to see what had caused the noise. She glanced quickly over to the doorway and saw the edge of a trench coat fan out before disappearing behind the wall. Rogue scowled at the spot where her heckler disappeared before turning back to the kids. "Uh, sorry about that. I think I got a little carried away with the dialog. Where was I?"

Raising her hand, little Tina stuttered, "At-at the part where where Mr. Logan w-was about to fight Bobby."

"The Ice Prince, Tina. Not Bobby." Rogue corrected. "These are fictional characters. Everyone knows what that means?" At the negative shakes she could see, Rogue sighed. "It means they aren't real." The last two words of her declaration were spoken loudly in the general direction of the doorway. She could here the Cajun struggling to contain a muffled laugh, and couldn't stop the corner of her lips twitching towards a smile. "Ok, anyway. So, Logan said to the Ice Prince…."

…………………

"….make you surrender Kris to us." He started to charge the demon but was instantly frozen into a block of ice. Logan hadn't even had time to blink before his entire body, except his head, was encased. He began to curse and struggle, his head moving side to side, but his body was captured and there was nothing he could do.

The Ice Demon flashed a smug and sadistic smile towards the stocky elf before turning his attention to the taller of the two, who was still kneeling on the floor holding his chest. "And what about you, young one? Do you wish to challenge me for your beloved master?" He slowly approached the young elf until he towered over the boy. "What say you, Remy?"

Remy trembled from the onslaught of emotions. Distantly, he could hear his love calling to him from across the room, but he was unable to even turn his head towards the sound. The Ice Prince lowered himself to one knee and used two icicle-like fingers to lift the boy's chin so that he could stare into the ruby eyes of his former clansman. "What can you offer me in exchange for Kris Kringle, that I do not already have?"

Remy thought about the poor creature before him, driven mad by despair and loneliness. What had been a promising life for a special child had been tainted by the cruelty of others in a time when there was no tolerance. Remy remembered the beloved master, how hard he worked to change the hearts and minds of the elfin clan; how much Kris had cherished Logan and him, until all the other members of the village also came to accept them. And Remy suddenly knew exactly what the Ice Prince needed to redeem his faith.

Gathering all the love he felt from Logan, and all the love he felt for his beloved master as well as the villagers, it took his remaining strength to extend his hand and cup the ice covered face of the handsome demon. "My love and acceptance for everything you are." He whispered before placing a soft, gentle kiss on the frosty lips that hovered only inches from his own and wrapping a blanket of pure, beautiful emotions around the frozen form.

Two sets of crystalline blue eyes widened in surprise. The Ice Prince was suffused with warmth for the first time in his long, lonely life, and he could feel his heart melting under the blanket of genuine caring and love; the dark magic dissipating from him. Short of breath, he pulled away, but could not escape the feelings enveloping his soul or the swelling of his heart. He stared in awe as the surface of his body began to change. Where there had been hard, cold ice, now shown soft, pale skin. What had been the smooth dome of his head now sported wavy, golden locks of hair. His fingers reached up to gingerly touch his face, and he gasped at being able to actually feel for the first time since his youth; a sense of touch returning with the melting ice. The transformation lasted only minutes. But, when it was done, the former Ice Demon was a glorious Adonis, standing nude before both elves, a testament to his rebirth.

Remy struggled to his feet, removing his coat to wrap it tenderly around his kinsman. "You are beautiful." He smiled, and then collapsed into the ice elf's arms.

Logan howled at the blond elf. "Let me out of this casing!"

The former Ice Prince blinked in shock towards the miner, and then muttered some incantation that caused the ice prison that had captured Logan to melt rapidly away. Once free, Logan ran over to the pair and made to grab Remy from the other boy's clutches. But, he stopped himself at the last moment and stared directly into the crystal blue eyes across from him. "Please?" He entreated the other elf, holding out his arms for his dearest love. The Ice Prince gently handed the cinnamon-haired youth over to the burly elf and watched in awe as the older one petted and cooed nonsense in the boy's pointed ear.

While the former enemies hovered over him, it took several minutes for Remy's ruby eyes to flutter open. Immediately he sensed the change, and smiled at Logan the Strong. Turning slightly, he gazed upon the flesh and blood form of the Ice Prince. "What is your name?"

The blond elf blinked; stunned that anyone would care to know. "My name?" When he saw both kinsmen smile in encouragement, he couldn't help returning the gesture, though the muscles needed to form the smile felt strange from lack of use. "My name is Robert the Icicle."

…………………

Rogue paused and frowned at another muffled laugh coming from the hallway. Ultimately, though, she shrugged off the irritation. After all, the children were enjoying her story, and their opinions mattered most. With a warm smile, she continued. "So Robert melted the ice that surrounded the beloved Kris Kringle and together…."

…………………

They made their way back to the village. By the time they had returned, all of the elves were gathered in the great hall, sending prayers of hope as they stood around a large deciduous pine tree that had been lovingly decorated for this special time of year. It was Christmas Eve, and time was nearly gone. If the two brave kinsmen failed in their mission, Christmas would not come for all the good little boys and girls in the world. To make matters worse, a heavy ice storm had surrounded the little village and made it nearly impossible to see more than a few inches forward. Travelling may not be possible if the storm did not abate. As they stood in silence, the massive doors leading to the hall slowly opened. As one, the villagers turned with wide-eyes to watch, breaths held in anticipation. The first one through the door was Logan the Strong. His face was blank, showing no emotion, and it was difficult for the clan members to tell if he bore good news or bad. The next to enter the hall was Remy the Charmer. He took a moment to look them all over before breaking into a wide, warm smile and turning to present the beloved Kris who stepped through the doors directly behind him.

There were cheers of joy and tears of happiness as all of the villagers gathered round the three. They hugged, and kissed; laughing with the excitement that all may not be lost. Now if only the storm would subside. It was in this moment that all fell silent as they witnessed the entrance of the fourth, unexpected member of the group.

Robert entered the great hall, but stood next to the door. His newly awakened heart beat painfully in his chest at the fear of being cast out yet again. He knew the villagers held no love for the former Ice Prince. Kris turned to the blond elf and approached him with a warm smile. "Come and let me introduce you to your family." Shocked blue eyes cut sharply to the master, unable to believe the words he had so calmly uttered. Nervous, he followed the rotund elderly man towards the group of elves. For the longest time, no one said anything or made any moves to welcome the stranger. They knew instinctively that this had been the demon of their horror tales told since birth.

But, just as Robert's heart slowly started to turn cold again with the thought that he might flee back to his ice castle, one of the smallest children among the elfin clan stepped forward. He looked down on her with a mixture of distrust and amusement before kneeling to look her directly in the eyes, amazed that she had an eye-colour that so resembled his own. They stared at one another for a moment, when much to his surprise, she suddenly stepped forward and hugged him tightly around the neck. "Welcome home." she whispered in his ear. And he felt himself break, grabbing her in a hug and swinging her around as he laughed with great joy. The other members of the community all joined him, gathering around to greet the new member.

"Now" Kringle called attention. "We must hurry. Time draws close and we must be on our way if we are to deliver all the toys before the sun rises around the world."

This brought a halt to the jubilation in the room as one of the elder villagers stepped forward. "But Santa, there is a terrible storm on the outer edges of the village. We have been able to combine our magic to keep the ice at bay, but travelling in it will not be possible for the deer."

Kris stroked his long white beard. Only once before had such a storm nearly stopped Christmas, and that was the year of the Great War that sent the Ice Prince into exile. Recalling this gave Kris an idea. "Ho, ho, ho" he chuckled before turning his attention to the blond elf. "Robert the Icicle, please step forward."

Robert frowned, apprehensive at being called forward as if standing trial. But the white haired master clasped him on the shoulder and asked, "Robert, with your powers so true, won't you end this storm, so my sleigh can get through?" Everyone gasped at the request, momentarily afraid of the amazing magic the blond elf possessed.

Tears of joy formed in his ice-blue eyes for the first time in his whole life. Never before had anyone wanted his help. "Yes, Santa. You can count on me." With that, he ran to the threshold and tore open the doors. He stood there, and closed his eyes, concentrating with all his strength on the mighty, raging storm. "Hear me, great storm." He cried. "The time has come to end your wrath!" And with a shattering howl, the storm burst apart, leaving soft downy snow to fall gently in its wake and the shimmering white stars to pepper fragments of light over the crystalline landscape.

…………………

"That night, Robert rode proudly with Santa Claus on his journey around the world, keeping the ice at bay while they delivered toys to all the children of the world. And the Ice Prince was never lonely again." Rogue ended.

In the hallway, Gambit stood beside the door and listened to the children start asking all kinds of questions. Down the hall, he watched as Bobby approached. "Hey man! What's going on?"

"Rogue in de living room wit' de kids."

"Rogue?" He heard Bobby whisper, feeling the fluttering of emotions from the boy.

A gleam in his ruby eyes, Remy studied the other man speculatively. "Dat right, Bobby. T'ink she was talkin' `bout y'."

Bobby blushed and cleared his throat, feigning nonchalance. "Really? Wh-what'd she say?"

"I dunno homme. Mais, it sounded kinda romantic." Remy let some of his charm flow over the other mutant, influencing him to agree. "Mebbe y' should head on in dere and say somet'in."

Blue eyes brightened as Bobby strode past him. "I think I will." As Bobby entered the living area, he started to greet the resident firecracker. "Hey Rogue, what's…" but paused when a multitude of little wide eyes turned his way. "…up?"

Suddenly he was over run as all the kids tackled him, all shouting things simultaneously as they tried to kiss and hug him.

"We love you Bobby"

"Don't be sad!"

"Can you put Toby in a block of ice?"

"What's Santa Claus like?"

"I wanna present, I've been real good."

"Can you really control the weather like Ms. Storm?"

"Make it snow! Make it snow!"

"How cool are the flying reindeer? I wanna pet one."

"Why aren't your ears pointy, too?"

Rogue pursed her lips as she heard a muffled `help' from beneath the kiddie pile. "Uh, yeah. I think I need some more hot chocolate." She gathered her cup and headed for the kitchen in search of said drink.

Back in the hallway, Remy was doubled over in laughter. When he regained his breath, he looked across the banister at the feral that was leaning against the stair wall smoking a cigar. Logan blew out a big puff of smoke as he turned to look at the boy, a scowl on his face and amusement dancing in his eyes. "Yer a cruel, cruel man, Cajun."

"Hey! Remy didn' hear y' stopping Bobby from goin' on in de room." Remy chided.

Logan turned and started up the stairs as he through over his shoulder, "Well, I figured it ain't none of my business."

It took a few moments before Remy pushed away from the wall and scampered after the older man, laughing and following him up the stairs. "Awe c'mon, mon ami. Don' do Remy dis way. Don'cha wanna gimme all de love and acceptance for everyt'ing I am? Wait, cher!"

The end.


End file.
